Roasted Whole Red Snapper with Tomato, Fennel, and Olives

After a couple of rough days last week, I developed a craving for a comforting brothy bowl of mussels and crusty bread.  I bundled up and head off to our local Whole Foods, a reliable source for beautiful seafood. When I approached the display, my eyes scoured the selection. I didn't see any bags. The gentleman behind the counter asked if he could help me with anything. "Any mussels?" He gave me an apologetic smile, "Sorry, we're all out and probably won't be getting in for a few days. Everyone wanted them for the holidays." Bummer. "Ok, so, let's see what else we have here." I looked over my other options. And that's when I noticed a gorgeous lone red snapper laying before me. "What about the snapper?" I asked. His eyes went wide and a big grin formed. "That just came in this morning. It's super fresh. You're going to love it." Sold. 

Not much needs to be done to such a beautiful fish. I rubbed it with a bit of oil and lightly salted the skin. Into the oven it went and, within 30 minutes, the whole thing was finished. There are so many directions one can take with this dish, but I went with a Mediterranean spin, pairing the fish with sautéed fennel, tomatoes and sliced black olives. 

The day after, I ended up at the store again and showed the fishmonger some photos on my phone of what I'd prepared. "This is awesome. Just awesome. I'm so happy you showed me this." I didn't get into details about the blog or that I'm a food photographer (though he got really excited by the plating). I don't know how often people share their creations with him, but I hope it brought him joy knowing that someone enjoyed his recommendation.

ROASTED whole RED SNAPPER WITH TOMATO, FENNEL AND OLIVES

SERVINGS
4 people

INGREDIENTS
1, 3 pound cleaned whole red snapper
1 large yellow onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
16 oz canned diced tomatoes
1 medium fennel bulb, cut in half and sliced into 1/4 inch wedges
1/2 cup pitted black olives, sliced
Canola oil
Olive oil
Salt
Black Pepper
Fresh parsley

DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Place the snapper onto a large baking pan. Cut 3 or 4 angled slits into each side of the fish. Rub the skin of the snapper with canola oil and lightly salt the skin and cavity of the fish. Roast for 30 minutes or until the fish flakes. Transfer to serving platter.

While the fish is cooking, set a large pan with 2 tablespoons of olive oil over medium heat. Add onion and sauté for 1 minute. Stir in garlic and fennel. Season with 1 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon black pepper. Cook for 3 minutes. Stir in diced tomatoes and cook for 3 minutes. Add black olives and taste for seasoning. If necessary, season with additional salt and black pepper.

Serve with a side of rice or roasted potatoes. 

Silent Sunday: Branch Line (Watertown, MA)

Click here to view more Silent Sunday posts! And to see more of my food and beverage photography, head on over to my portfolio site. 

BRANCH LINE
321 Arsenal St, Watertown, MA
WEBSITE

Sweetened Black Bean Dip with Yogurt and Pomegranate

I've never had much of a desire to make black bean dip.  If I'm going the bean route, it's going to be hummus. Rich and creamy hummus. I haven't met one that I didn't like. However, my views on this have recently changed and I have Bon Appetit to thank for that.  Driving down to New Jersey for Thanksgiving, I started flipping through the pages of the November issue and I came across a little piece about ways to improve on bean dips. And there were some suggestions I'd never thought of... like adding a drizzle of maple syrup on top. So, before the big feast I served a white bean dip with maple. And it was a HUGE hit. Never again would I make one without the inclusion of something sweet. 

I started thinking about what else I could do. I thought about the often forgotten black bean dip and how I could spruce it up. In my mind, I began to build the bowl. The dark puree on the bottom contrasted with some tangy yogurt. Some maple and pomegranates. And a sprinkle of parsley to finish it off. 

SWEETENED BLACK BEAN DIP WITH YOGURT AND POMEGRANATE

SOURCE
Inspired by the November 2016 issue of Bon Appetit

INGREDIENTS
1, 16 oz can black beans, drained of liquid and beans rinsed
1 garlic clove, minced
Juice of 1/2 a lemon
1 1/2 tablespoons tahini
Salt
1 teaspoon cumin
1/4 cup full-fat Greek yogurt
2 tablespoons pomegranate seeds
3 tablespoons maple syrup
1 teaspoon chopped fresh parsley

Pita chips

DIRECTIONS
Using a food processor, puree the black beans, garlic, lemon juice, tahini, 1/4 teaspoon salt and cumin. With the machine running, drizzle in 1 tablespoon of water to thin out the dip. Puree until smooth.

Transfer black bean mixture to a serving bowl.  Make a well in the center of the black bean mixture and scoop in yogurt. Drizzle maple syrup on top. Sprinkle pomegranate seeds on top, followed by chopped parsley. 

Serve with pita chips.